DENVER — Several memorials took place on Sunday, with Coloradans gathering to honor and remember Charlie Kirk. Organizers told Denver7 that Kirk had a large following in our state, and now his supporters are dedicated to move his legacy forward.
Rocky Mountain Voice partnered with BRAVE Church in Englewood to put on one of the memorials. Founder of Rocky Mountain Voice and prior candidate for Colorado governor, Heidi Ganahl, explained the need for a celebration for his life and now the legacy he leaves behind.
"First and foremost, Charlie wanted his legacy to be one of loving Jesus Christ and knowing his faith and knowing how important that is for young people across this country, for everyone and really, that's the path forward, according to Charlie. But he also was a champion for teaching people to have civil discourse and agree, debate, learn how to discuss tough issues without hating each other," Ganahl said.
Later Sunday evening, another memorial took place in Golden, put on by Team Imer PAC. Weston Imer, co-chair of Team Imer PAC, brought his Turning Point USA banner as he was involved with the nonprofit organization.
"I was one of the first chapter presidents for Turning Point in Colorado, and Charlie was a dear friend for nearly ten years and through that work, I learned the skill set that was needed to engage Generation Z and become activists, turn them into activists, engage them to vote, and get to the ballot box," Imer said.
Imer recognized that there is a divide right now following Kirk's assassination and called for change moving forward.
"Let's have civility. Let's disagree better. Let's agree to disagree that's what we as the American people should do outside of any organization or any level of involvement. We should. It's incumbent on ourselves to do just that," Imer said.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis spoke on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, condemning the act of violence and calling out the 'actions of an unhinged, evil individual.'
"I send my sincere condolences. This is about the acts of an individual, the inexcusable, evil acts of an individual, and there have been more of those in different places at different times. The assassination of the speaker of the Minnesota assembly, the shooting here in Colorado. Whatever motivates these acts, the fault and the responsibility lie with the perpetrator, and I hope that he's brought to justice and faces full accountability for his crime," Polis said.
Robert Preuhs, chair of the political science department at Metropolitan State University of Denver, explained the complex reactions to Kirk's assassination.
"I think it certainly reinforces the divide, and we see that now, right, with folks coming out both, you know, celebrating a bit too much schadenfreude in terms of the death of an individual, but also on the other side, justifying further revenge and invoking talks of war and retribution," Preuhs said.
Denver7 previously covered what's driving the divide following Kirk's death and the growing problem of political violence.
"Right now, we're at a point where many members of each political party see and feel an existential threat from the other that drives emotions and particularly hatred among a smaller set, of course, of some of those folks. Then that leads to folks adopting these extreme positions and really looking to find ways to justify their beliefs and doing so by acting violently," Preuhs said.
A public memorial for Charlie Kirk will be held on September 21 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
